Burns, scratches, scrapes and minor cuts are among the everyday mishaps that peel skin away and leave it open to pain, bacteria and infection. Many minor skin injuries or inflammations can be healed at home with traditional folk treatments. In addition to a cooling and cleansing water wash, healing skin can benefit from herbs and plants with antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic properties. Some, such as aloe vera and lavender, also provide quick pain relief. Always contact your health care professional if a skin injury bleeds heavily, is a deep wound or doesn't heal.
Scrapes And Cuts
Step 1
Clean the scraped or cut skin with cool water and a clean, soft cloth. Wash with soapy water if the wound is dirty.
Step 2
Remove all debris, stones or other material that may have penetrated the skin. Pour a capful of hydrogen peroxide on the wound to draw out bacteria that could cause infection.
Step 3
Squeeze a few drops of garlic juice into cuts. Garlic's antibacterial properties can help your body fight bacteria at the injury site.
Step 4
Cover the injured or inflamed skin with a bandage or gauze wrap. Unwrap, clean and rewrap your healing skin area daily.
Minor Skin Burns
Step 1
Run or pour very cold water on the burn to cool the skin and soothe the pain. Keep the skin exposed to very cold water until the site begins to go numb.
Step 2
Cut a leaf from an aloe vera plant and apply the leaf directly to the burned skin. Apply a commercial aloe vera gel to your burn if you do not have a fresh plant.
Step 3
Mix a few drops of lavender essential oil into a dish of water. Smooth the water-oil mixture on the burned skin. Lavender is antibacterial and antiseptic.
Tips and Warnings
- Garlic is also a traditional home remedy for acne, an inflammation of your skin's sebaceous glands. Garlic is antifungal, antiseptic and antibacterial.
- Contact your medical professional if the affected skin site is not healing within two weeks, or if it appears inflamed or oozing.
Things You'll Need
- Cold water
- Clean, soft cloth
- Soap
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Garlic juice
- Bandage or gauze wrap
- Aloe vera leaf or gel
- Lavender oil
References
- Mother Nature: Cuts and Scrapes, 13 Ways to Soothe a Sore
- Free Health Care: Skin Abrasion Treatment and Home Remedies
- "The Complete Medicinal Herbal"; Penelope Ody; 1993
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